Some additional terms that may be useful
for Wazīfa practices
and meditation:
Allāhumma
اللَّهُمَّ
O Allāh
The greatest wazīfa.
Allāhumma means "O Allāh" and is often used rather than Yā Allāh
(which would be pronounced yāllāh).
The derivation of the sacred name Allāh is not entirely known,
but it is likely related to the older Semitic names for the One
such as the Canaanite Elat, Aramaic Alaha, and Hebrew El.
lā ilāha illā Allāh
there is no
deity except Allāh
The four individual words in the phrase lā ilāha illā allāh,
have the following meanings:
lā = no, not, none, neither
ilāha = a god, deity, object
of worship
illā = but, except (illā is a contraction of in-lā,
literally if not)
allāh = Allāh
See the tahlil page for more information
on this sacred phrase.
lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā
billāh
there is no change or power except through Allāh
there is no transformation or potency except through
Allāh
there is no power or strength except
through Allāh
The phrase may be translated word-by-word as:
lā = no, not, none, neither
hawla
= change, transformation, skillful means, motion, power
wa
= and
lā = no, not, none, neither
quwwata = strength,
power, potency, intensity
illā = but, except, if not
bi
= with, to, for, in, through, by means of
llāh = allāh
Please see the tawhil page for much
more information about the meaning of this phrase.
Yā Sattār
O Veiler,
O Coverer, O Protector, O Shelterer
From the root s-t-r which has the following classical Arabic
connotations:
to cover, veil
to hide, conceal
to be shielded
that
by which something is protected, sheltered
to be modest,
chaste
The name as-Satīr (as used in the hadith) is an attribute of
Allāh, meaning Veiler or Protector.
The name as-Sattār is considered by some to be an attribute of
Allah, although others consider it to be a serious error to attempt
to derive any divine names from the verbs that are used to describe
the actions of Allah.
Yā Shāfī
O Restorer of
Health, O Extinguisher of Problems, O Healer
From the Arabic root sh-f-y which has the following classical
Arabic connotations:
to heal, make well
to restore to health
to quench,
extinguish
yā shāfī anta ash-shāfī is a powerful wazīfa
which can be translated as O Healer, Thou art The Healer.
Sahīh Bukhāri, Volume 7, Book 70, Number 579, Narrated 'Aisha:
Whenever Allah's Apostle paid a visit to a patient, or a patient
was brought to him, he used to invoke Allah, saying, "Take away
the disease, O the Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One
Who cures (ash-shāfiy). There is no cure but Yours, a cure that
leaves no disease."
Yā Kāfī
O Sufficient
One, O Saving One, O Protector, O Shield
From the root k-f-y which has the following classical Arabic
connotations:
to be enough, to be sufficient
to meet all requirements
to protect, shield from something
to save from something
yā kāfī anta al-kāfī is a wazīfa which can
be translated as O All-Sufficient One, Thou art The Sufficient
One.
Yā Musabbib al-Asbāb
O Causer of causes, O First Cause of the cause, O Causer of apparent
causes
From the root s-b-b which has the following classical Arabic
connotations:
to connect one thing to another (as a rope)
to be a means
for obtaining, a medium
to be a reason, a cause
Allah is recognized as the First Cause, and all other causes
are thus considered to be only apparent causes (secondary causes)
which all depend upon the First Cause. These apparent causes tend
to conceal the First Cause, yet they are the very evidence that
demonstrates the existence of the First Cause. Allah discloses Himself
by means of the apparent causes.
Shaikh ibn 'Arabi considered these apparent causes to be used
by Allah as a part of the Divine Plan:
Allah did not establish the secondary causes aimlessly.
ibn 'Arabi (II 208.16)
Allah established the apparent causes and made them like
veils. Hence the secondary causes take everyone who knows that
they are veils back to Him. But they block anyone who takes
them as lords.
ibn 'Arabi (III 416.19)
Yā Rūh
O Breath of
Life, O Holy Spirit, O Revelation, O Divine Inspiration
From the root r-w-h which has
the following classical Arabic connotations:
to be a good or pleasant breeze
to be a lively wind
to be breath
to be the soul, spirit
The ancient roots of rūh point
toward every idea of expansion and aerial dilation, such as wind,
breath, soul, spirit; and also point toward that which moves, stirs
animates or inspires.
Yā Rabb
O Nurturing Lord,
O Nourisher and Master, O Nourisher unto Perfection
The Lord and Master who nourishes and sustains us, both physically
and spiritually, step by step, unto perfection.
The One who fosters something in such a way as to cause it to
attain one condition after another, step by step, until it reaches
the goal of completion.
From the root r-b-b which has the following classical Arabic
connotations:
to be lord, master, ruler
to nourish, foster
to sustain
something
to perfect something
to bring something to maturity
to regulate, complete, accomplish
In the Qur'ān,
the attribute most frequently used to refer to Allāh
is ar-Rabb, which occurs in various forms about 980 times.
Click this link for a few additional
Arabic devotional phrases.
(Without diacritical marks: wazifa, wazaif, ya allah, la
ilaha illa allah, la ilaha il allah, la ilaha illallah, la hawla
wa la quwwata illa billah, la hawla wa la quwwata illa bi allah,
al sattar, as sattar, as sattaar, as satir, as sateer, ya sattar,
ya sattaar, ya shafi, ya shafee, ya shaafee, ya kafi, ya kafee,
ya ruh, ya rabb)